The idea behind allocation
Most budgets are backwards — you spend, then see what's left. Allocation reverses that. You enter your net salary and assign every pound to a category before payday. Rent, bills, groceries, savings, debt payments, fun money. When payday lands, you already know exactly where each pound is going.
Set up your salary and payday
Enter your net monthly salary (after tax and NI). Then set your payday — the date your salary hits your current account. Clearr uses this to calculate your allocation period and flag when you're approaching payday with unallocated funds.
Build your allocation plan
Add categories that reflect how you actually spend: rent or mortgage, council tax, energy, broadband, phone, subscriptions, groceries, transport, eating out, clothes, personal care, savings, debt payments. The total should equal your salary. If it doesn't, you've found the gap — that's useful information.
What changes when you use it
The shift is psychological. When you've pre-assigned your salary, overspending in one category means consciously moving money from another. That friction is the point. You stop making decisions by default and start making them on purpose.